


Survive

by SweetieFiend



Category: Game Grumps, KittyKatGaming, Mortem3r - Fandom, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Arguments, Blood, Body Horror, Crying, F/M, Fighting, Friends to Lovers, Gore, Make Outs, Mourning, Survival, angry confessions, apocolypse, apocolypse AU, despiration, road tripping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 11:20:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11713338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetieFiend/pseuds/SweetieFiend
Summary: A deadly fungus has begun to take over the southern United states. After the loss of her husband, Suzy Berhow sets off to find a cure to stop the madness. Along the way she meets a loner, named Dan Avidan and they set off together towards California to find a cure or salvation. Depending on one another to survive.





	Survive

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution for the 2017 GameGrumpsBigBang!! This was a lot of fun to do and it really pushed myself as a writer and I was happy to do it. Able to write a common theme that I love with my favorite pair!! Check out @cinnamon-grump on tumblr for a companing art piece for this fic!!

Things started slow, a fungus that originated in Brazil, it took a few lives, the doctors were working on a cure. Suzy tried to keep herself informed but didn’t let it affect her life immediately. She kept herself busy with work, her husband and her cats, she was happy.  That all seemed like such a long time ago.

 

Suzy was alone now. She sat in the woods and chewed on her granola bar as she mapped out her route. She was making her way up North, there was rumors that they had a cure and it was unable to actually be transported to the places that needed it. She thought if she could get to Pennsylvania, where they said they had the cure, she could do something. All of Georgia was taken over by the infected. 

 

She had to be careful of her steps in the woods. Since it was a fungus, the plant could be growing anywhere. Concrete areas were safer, but not by much. The area she found was pretty clear. She did her usually sweep to check for danger before relaxing. 

 

Once she established where to go next she packed up her belongings and stood, machete in hand. She was following the interstate that was practically deserted. There were abandoned cars sprawled about, she scavenged for supplies. 

 

The sky was cloudy and there was a musty smell in the air as she cautiously walked by the cars. Quick glances to see if anything was salvageable. If anyone had gone by here recently, there was a high chance there was nothing of use, but she was going to try.  

 

Almost all the car windows were broken. Suzy was able to find a crowbar and some rags, she put then in her backpack. What she really wanted was a lighter. Fire could stop a spore before it got attached to something living. It was the prefered way to get rid of the spores while they were dormant. At least that's what they said on the news before the blackout. 

 

She heard footsteps and ducked behind the nearest car. She held her machete close as she heard the steps get closer. She looked under the car to see if she could find the source of the noise. She couldn’t see any of the infected walking by, everything had been pretty clear but she could have missed something. There was a noise from behind her and she whipped her head around. 

 

She saw a man a few cars away from her, kneeling on the side and looking in the direction Suzy was previously. They made eye contact and the man placed one finger over his mouth and then pointed to Suzys left. There was an infected, shuffling its way closer and closer to Suzys car. 

 

The forms skin was grey and decaying, it was wheezing as it struggled to breathe. Its eyes were covered by a mushroom like substance, its limbs were beginning to follow suit. 

“Hey! Hey! Come on!” The man called in a harsh whisper and he waved his hand towards her. Suzy looked back to the infected, if she was quiet she could get to him without being noticed. A part of her didn’t want to get near the man, she didn’t know him, but in this situation she needed all the help she could get. 

 

Watching the infected move she waited for her chance to make her way to him. She stayed crouched down and moved slow. When she got to him she had her back to the car, watching the infected walk out of earshot. The man exhaled in relief. 

“Woo, that was fun.” He laughed nervously looking at Suzy. His hair was wild and his hazel eyes were definitely tired. He needed sleep, Suzy did too. But when you are alone, sleep is hard to come by. 

“I’m Dan, what's your name?” he asked as he opened up his backpack.

“Suzy.” she watched him. Dan pulled out a bottle of water and offered it to Suzy, she shook her head ‘no’. 

“Where ya headed, Suzy?” He asked as he took a sip of water. 

“I’m going to Pennsylvania. I heard that they had a cure for...all of this.” She made a gesture with her hand. Dan cocked his head to the side.

“You’ve got the wrong info then. Pennsylvania is toast. I came from Jersey and that shit got taken down in a week.” he said. 

“That doesn’t make sense. The news said that they were working on a cure in Pennsylvania!” Suzy had been on her own for weeks, that had been her goal. She promised Arin she’d find a cure and that was all she had to go one. 

“Don’t yell.” Dan whispered. They had to be careful. They didn't want to attract any nearby infected towards them. She was shaking her head.

“No, I’ve come too far, I’m almost there.” She was shaking, trying not to cry. She couldn’t, not in front of this stranger. 

“Hey, hey. Suzy? Listen, I’ve got a camp set up nearby. Why don’t you come down? We can eat something.” He told her. 

 

Suzy closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, she nodded, accepting Dan’s offer. She really didn’t want to but there was safety in numbers, and Dan had been the first human she encountered in days. He lead her off the other side of the highway from where Suzy came and approached his camp. He had a small fire going and a pickup truck parked off to the side. 

 

Dan threw his backpack into the truck and pulled out a dead rabbit, holding it by the ears. Suzy took a step back and looked at him.

“I killed it earlier, before I heard you on the highway. I was about to cook it.” he told her as he sat down and pulled out a knife. 

“You heard me?” She asked

“Yeah you were making a lot of noise.” Dan began to skin the rabbit. He stopped for a moment to think.

“Well I mean, it was really quiet, and I guess you were just as quiet, but since I wasn’t making any noise, the noises you were making seemed louder...I dunno.” He laughed as he continued to prepare the rabbit.

 

Suzy watched him as he worked, she really didn’t have much to say to Dan. She set her bag down and walked to his pickup truck. It wasn’t old but it definitely had some years on it. It was muddy and the inside had ugly maroon leather seating.

“Like it?” Dan asked as he put the rabbit over the fire. She shrugged.

“Got it from my dad years back, it was super reliable, got ya where it needed to go. Sure it's not the best looking car but it's been getting in there.” Dan looked over at the truck and his eyes made it clear he wasn’t entirely in the moment right now.

“Where’s your dad now?” Suzy asked. Dan bit his lip and shook his head, Suzy nodded. They were silent for a little while longer before Dan spoke up again.

“Rabbits done!” 

 

She sat next to Dan and ate a the rabbit. She hadn’t had meat in so long it was nice to actually taste it. 

“How’d you learn to do this?” Suzy asked, trying to make conversation.

“My uncle taught my sister and I. We would go hunting over the summer and I was always the worst at it. I always felt guilty about killing an animal. But, because of the circumstances I’ve kinda had to...y’know” He gestured with the knife and turned to her

“What about you? Why are you alone?” He asked. Suzy didn’t answer, she didn’t want to talk about what happened to her. She stood up

“I should probably go.” She said.

“W-wait! Hang on, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.” Dan stood up.

“You didn’t. I just need to get going.” She said.

“To where? You can’t go further north. I just came from there and there’s  _ nothing _ .” He stressed the last word.

“Well, if you’re coming from Jersey--”

“Thats right next to where you want to go, and I’m telling you, there’s nothing there. I’ve seen it! Why do you think I was headed south? Anywhere was better than there.” He told her, standing. 

 

She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to have her travels end in vain, she had come too far to stop now.

“Where would I go then?” She asked sarcastically. Dan was quiet as he thought for a moment.

“How about out west?” He suggested.

“What?” She crossed her arms.

“Yeah, I mean. If you’re coming from the south, and I’m coming from the north, each side is completely obliterated by these mushroom fucks. We can’t go east because we would just hit the water. So! Our best option is?” Dan waved at her with a grin on his face.

“Out west.” She said.

“Exactly! Best option for both of us. Maybe California since it’s a huge ass state.” Dan said cheerfully.

 

Suzy arched an eyebrow at him.

“Us?” She asked, Dan nodded.

“Yeah. Me and you, traveling to ol’ California for a chance at life?” He gave her a goofy grin and she had too look away.

“I don’t even know you.” She said. 

“You don’t. But traveling with a stranger is better than traveling alone, given the situation.” Dan sat down by the fire again. He was right and she hated that he was right.

Hell, she’s surprised she survived this long on her own, on foot! Also, Dan had a car. It would be nice to not walk for hours on end. She bit her lip and paced a bit. She sighed.

“Let me get my map.”  

 

~~

 

That night Dan laid out some blankets in the bed of the truck while Suzy checked the perimeter of their camp. She found some spore begin to sprout in the ground, and she stomped them out immediately. She did this two or three more times to be thorough. Dan opened the truck door.

“So, you’re going to sleep in here.” He said.

“Am I?” She asked in an annoyed tone, Dan flinched.

“Yeah. Figured you have the safety of the compartment, and I’ll sleep on the bed of the truck.” He said. 

“How about we sleep in shifts?” Suzy suggested.

“We can do that too. But I want to make sure we are both well rested. I’d feel bad if I was asleep and you were awake.” Dan said.

“Why? Because I’m a woman?” She wasn’t sure where this hostility was coming from, she knew he was trying to be nice but the way he was going about it rubbed her the wrong way. Dan was silent and looked away, tapping his finger on the door.

“If you want to stay up and look out for a few hours then go ahead.” He said finally. “Just promise when you get too tired you’ll wake me up?” Suzy nodded.

 

Dan laid on the bed of the truck and bid Suzy a goodnight. She sat by the dim fire and listened to the nothingness of the night. It use to unnerve her, how quiet things were now, but she had become use to it. From the truck she heard and very soft sound and she turned her head. It was Dan, was he singing?

 

_ ‘So...So you think you can tell…Heaven from Hell...’  _

 

She knew this song, it had been such a long time since she actually listened to it. It had been a long time since she listened to music in general. Dan was actually a really good singer. Maybe before all this he did it for a living, or just did good at karaoke. Even though Dan wasn’t singing very loud, Suzy could hear him clearly since it was so quiet. She found herself being lost in his voice, it was somewhat comforting to hear music.

 

_ ‘We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year…’  _

 

“Wish you were here…” Suzy said to herself. Arin crossed her mind. His smiling face, his silky hair, his earthy brown eyes which always had a loving gaze. His smile and laugh whenever they were together. The touch of his skin on her own when they made love. Her heart pounded and she composed herself. She couldn’t cry, she can’t cry. 

“Suzy?” Dan asked after the song was over, the silence linger in the air.

“Yeah?” Suzy kept her gaze on the fire.

“Are you sleepy?” He sat up from the bed of the truck.

“No.”

“Do you want to rest?”

“No. You can sleep, I want to be awake.” 

 

There was silence again and Suzy heard Dan lay back down. The moon was high in the sky, a crescent moon. What did a crescent moon mean again? She wasn’t good with astrology but it was fun to play around with. She kept herself preoccupied with thinking of anything. Their journey tomorrow, would they encounter any infected, how experienced is Dan in terms of survival? She tried to keep her mind focused on survival and tried her hardest to not think of Arin.

 

Her eyelids grew heavy as she bobbed her head. She stood up, she had to stay awake. She paced around the camp to try and get her blood moving. Her eyes still worked against her though and she ran into the truck, Dan shot up with a start.

“What is it?!” He asked sounding startled.

“Nothing…” She rubbed her eyes. “Go back to sleep.”

“Uh, no way. You’re sleeping now.” he stretched and jumped from the bed of the truck.

“I’m fine, Dan.” she argued but he hoisted her up over his shoulder and carried her to the truck bed. He laid her down on the soft flannel blanket. 

“Sleep. You need it. You’re no good to either of us if you’re exhausted, okay?” he reasoned.

 

Suzy looked up at Dan as the moonlight illuminated his halo of hair. He looked like a picture. She rolled onto her side and shut her eyes.

“Fine, if it will make you feel better.” she said. 

“It would! Thank you ma’am.” He covered her up with the blanket and hopped off the back. She listened to his footsteps walk to the fire and sit down. He was tapping his foot, was he going to sing again? She heard nothing, he was just tapping away to a melody only he could hear. She pulled the blankets closer to her, they smelled like a campfire and something else she couldn’t identify. She closed her eyes and dreamed of Arin. 

 

The sun shined in her eyes as she opened them. She had forgotten she was sleeping in the back of a truck. She sat up and looked around. Dan was standing by the front of the truck looking through his bag. 

“Morning sunshine.” He smiled brightly. She didn't say anything as she stood up and jumped to the ground. She stretched and ran her fingers through her hair to unknot parts of it. She gathered up her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail.

“Ready to get going?” He asked as he pulled out a compas.

“Are you okay to drive? You were up most of the night.” Suzy asked but Dan shook his head.

“No, I’m good. It was actually way later than I thought it was. The sun started coming up not long after you fell asleep, you haven't been out long.” He explained. 

 

Suzy rubbed her eye and patted her back pocket. She wanted to look at her phone to see the time, but remembered that it died, and she hasn’t used it in quite some time. Why did she still have it? Dan had handed her some jerky and finished packing up. Suzy gathered her belongings and got into the passenger's side door. Dan hopped in the driver's seat and started the engine, buckling his seatbelt.

“Really?” Suzy cocked and eyebrow

“Hey, it's the end of the world but seat belts still save lives.” Dan put up a finger and spoke in a condescending tone, giving her another toothy grin. Suzy rolled her eyes and did the same as she buckled her seatbelt, fighting not to grin. Dan started the truck and drove it onto the road and they were off.

 

Suzy pulled out her map and examined it. The map still had the penned out route she was originally planning to take, she groaned and looked for the route they should be taking.

“Does the radio work?” She asked.

“Not in this area but I have been trying.” Dan answered. The approached a four way intersection and Dan turned on his right turn signal. Suzy gave him another Look. They were the only two people around.

“Hey! It's a habit.” Dan turned and drove into a town.

“I didn't know there was a town this close.” Suzy looked around. It was completely abandoned. Buildings were locked up and there was virtually nothing on the street, aside from some cars. 

“I want to see if there is any gas in the cars.” He said as he parked by a row of abandoned cars. 

“Do you know how to siphon gas?” Suzy asked as she got out of the truck.

“Sorta. I’ve watch friends do it before, so I have an idea of what I’m doing.” Dan grabbed his bag and a metal baseball bat. “Where’s your knife?” 

“It's not a knife, it's a machete.” She corrected him.

“Well whatever it is. Let’s ransack this joint of what it has and start out west, okay?” Dan smirked and began looking into the nearest car.

 

Suzy looked around, knowing she should probably stay close to Dan for safety. Not that she needed any protecting. Dan was too carefree about this whole thing, if anything she would be the one protecting him. He is going to slow her down, but she needed him to survive. He had a car, and obviously some talents. Although, she didn’t know exactly how he had these skills. Hunting was understandable but siphoning gas? What did he do before the world went to hell? 

 

She was able to break her way into a convenience store across the street. As she guessed, most of the stock had been taken already but there was some useful stuff. She carefully moved around and came out with some ace bandages, rubbing alcohol, some pain killers, baby wipes, even some candy.    

 

Dan was kneeling next to a different car with a gas container next to him. He had a hose in his hand and he was feeding it into the car. Suzy walked dropped off what she found in the truck and approached him.

“Do you need help?” She asked.

“No, I got it.” Dan put in a secondary hose into the gas tank and wrapped a cloth at the base. Suzy knelt next to him and watched as he put the other end of the hose into the container and looked at Suzy

“Actually, can you make sure the hose doesn’t fly out?” He asked. She nodded and held the container and hose in place. He put his lips to the secondary hose and blew into it. Gas from inside the car began to trickle out into the house and into the tank. He did this a few more times until it was completely emptied. He took several deep breaths as it emptied and looked triumphant with himself, the tank was about a quarter of the way filled. They did this a few more times with cars that had gas in them still. 

 

Dan screwed the container tight and put it in the truck when he saw what Suzy had stashed in there.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” he exclaimed and Suzy jumped at his outburst.

“What?” She asked sounding worried. Dan grabbed a bag of skittles and beamed

“No way you  _ actually _ found these just laying around? Its sealed too? Oh my  _ god _ , baby I am going to savor you.” He was talking to the bag, actually talking to a bag of skittles. Suzy gave him a look but shook it off. She guessed that something as simple as an unopened bag of someone's favorite candy was a comfort. He composed himself and handed the bag to her.

“Unless you want it?” He offered. She smirked and huffed out a laugh.

“You can have them, it's okay.” He smiled and stuffed them in his leather jacket pocket.

“Did you get a chance to check anywhere else?” He asked, Suzy shook her head. Dan locked the truck and grabbed his bat.

“Lets see what else we can find then.” 

 

The town wasn’t too big so there weren't a lot of places to check but they looked top to bottom. As they both suspected a lot of anything useful was taken already but Dan did manage to grab two pillows from a dollar store and they found canned vegetables. As they went inside a hardware store they heard something coming from the back and they both froze. Dan gripped onto his bat as Suzy did the same with her machete. 

“Stay close.” She warned, Dan nodded. 

 

They both quietly stepped, unsure if the noise was another person, an animal or one of the infected. There was more shuffling and they crouched down, Suzy taking the lead and hiding in an aisle, Dan kept his back close to the wall. Suzy saw an infected, it was definitely been around for a while. The clothes of the person it once was completely gone and its entire body was mushroom-like. Suzy could take this thing out and put it out of its misery in no time at all. She took two graceful steps to the next aisle and Dan's eyes widened.

“Suzy…” he whispered, but she kept going until she was creeping up behind the creature. With one quick stab to the neck it let out a cry and fell to the ground, a white milky substance oozed from the wound as it shriveled up. Suzy stood up and wiped her machete off on its skin, she was going to have to disinfect it. She turned to Dan who was on his knees vomiting. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never actually killed one before.” She asked as she grabbed a cloth and wiped it down.

“Okay, I won’t.” Dan choked. She sheathed her machete and approached him. 

“You’re going to have to learn if we’re traveling together.” She told him. Dan stood and didn’t look at her.

“They were people once.” 

“They aren’t now and now is what matters.” She argued. She didn’t want to have this

discussion with him, not now. Dan raised his hands and didn’t really speak to Suzy while they did a once over on the store. 

  
  


They came out about an hour later to the truck.

“I’d say it a pretty good haul! Y’know, aside from the whole mushroom man part.” Dan grinned as they repacked everything. Suzy nodded and got in the truck, Dan followed.

“That was suppose to be a joke.”

“I know, it just wasn’t a funny one.” She looked out of the window. He sighed and started the truck. She groaned.

“I’m sorry, okay?” she looked at him and he glanced at her.

“It's just…”

“People have changed a lot recently, I understand.” Dan got back onto the interstate. “So, you came from the South? Where exactly?” 

 

Suzy knew he was just trying to be friendly by asking her about herself, but that was something she didn’t want to share. It all still hurt too much, despite time escaping her. She forgot how long it has been since everything happened.

“I lived in Florida, you said you’re from Jersey?” She raked her fingers through her hair.

“Hell yeah I did, baby.” He gave her a cocky smile and put a lot of emphasis on the typical Jersey accent that made Suzy turn away, biting her cheek.

“Are you smiling?” He poked her.

“No.” She bit her lip.

“You totally are!” He laughed. It was heartwarming to hear. It was the type of laugh that just put you in a good mood no matter how you were feeling and Suzy smiled, looking at him. Dan just grinned and looked back at the road.

“So...tell me about Jersey. Is it everything TV promised it would be?” she asked. She would rather Dan talk about himself rather than talk about her old life. That was something she was not ready to face just yet.

“Well, if you’re asking if there is a shore then yes…” 

 

Dan talked on about growing up in Jersey. He had a pretty normal life with a nuclear family, a few pets here and there. He told her about how in his late teens/early twenties he got into weed when he moved to New York.

“I even made forty pot brownies and ate thirty nine of them one time.” He said which made Suzy give him a Look.

“I’m sorry, what?” She asked, giggling.

“I...made forty brownies for my friend and I to share, he ate one and left, so I ate the other thirty nine in one sitting and played  _ Morrowind _ .” His tone was so matter of factly, it just made her laugh more. Dan smiled when she did so.

“I quit five years ago, so I’m a clean slate.” He said and straightened his back, trying to look triumphant.

“Well good for you.” She patted his arm. Something about Dan was making her put her guard down, she couldn’t place what though. Maybe it was the safety of a moving vehicle, she wasn’t sure. She did know it was nice to just, talk to someone. It made it seem like things were normal. 

 

Things got quiet in the car again as they drove. Suzy rolled down the window and stuck her head out the window a little bit, letting the wind hit her face. It was refreshing in a way. It was a nice day outside. They traveled as far as they could before night fall. Dan found a safe place to park the truck for the evening. Dan set up a fire while Suzy checked the surrounding area like she did before. 

“You were driving all day so I’ll watch first.” Suzy sat by the fire as they snacked out some jerky they snagged at  the previous town. 

“I mean, this area is pretty clear of anything. We could both get some sleep.” Dan said but Suzy shook her head.

“I wouldn’t feel safe.” Dan nodded.

“Understandable.” As it got later he took off his leather jacket and placed it around Suzys shoulders.

“Whats this for?” She asked looking up at him.

“I’ll have a blanket, just in case you get cold y’know?” Dan hopped into the back of the

truck.

 

Suzy pulled the jacket around her, it was very warm and the jacket was comforting. It reminded her of when Arin would do gestures like this. She clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to not cry. She looked over to the truck, would Dan sing again? She waited and waited but it was just quiet. He had gone right to sleep and she sighed, she wanted to listen to something. She looked around, she could see or hear nothing.

 

_ ‘So...So you think you can tell...Heaven from Hell….’  _

 

That was their routine for a while. Drive as far as they could, stopping whenever they came across a town for supplies. There were lone infected here and there and Suzy took them out with ease. Dan was still against killing them, that was a conversation they were still avoiding. Suzy saw no problem with killing a threat, they couldn’t have been saved. As far as either of them know there isn’t a cure. They had to make sure that they survived and if that meant killing things that were once human then that was the price. 

 

There was one day where they had to stop due to heavy rain. Dan couldn’t see what was in front of him at all and it wasn’t safe. He pulled off to the side of the interstate to wait it out. Suzy pulled the blanket that was bundled up at her feet and wrapped it over her as Dan zipped up his jacket. Suzy opened up the blanket to Dan to share, he took the other and and put the other end over his shoulder. 

“Thanks, I get cold easily.” Dan smiled as he curled up.

“Yeah, you’re the only guy I know who can wear a leather jacket in late summer. Was it late summer? It was hot during the day but cold at night. What month was it? She had lost track. 

“When’s your birthday, Dan?” She asked. She wasn’t sure why it mattered, conversation she guessed.

“My birthday? March! I turned thirty eight this year.” Dan smiled.

“Thirty eight?!” Suzy exclaimed and Dan jumped.

“Uh..yeah? Is that a problem?” Dan asked sounding nervous. Suzy shook her hands.

“N-No, it's just...you don’t look thirty eight at all.” Suzy glanced at him and Dan laughed.

“How old did you think I was?” He asked grinning, she shrugged.

“I dunno like...thirty maybe?” Suzy cocked her head to the side.

“Oh my god.” he giggled some more. Suzy hid a smile.

“How old are you?” 

“Twenty-seven….or eight? My birthday is in the summer.” Suzy couldn’t even remember the month so for all she knew her birthday could have been today.

“Well, happy birthday to you then.” Dan grinned. They sat in silence for a little while longer.

 

It was getting very dark outside and they decided to just rest until the morning. Driving in the now dark, in the rain wasn’t safe.

“I’ll keep watch.” Suzy said.

“Why? We’re both in the locked car.” Dan asked. 

“What if something shows up though?” Suzy said. Dan thought for a moment and shrugged.

“Honestly? We haven’t seen anything all day, I think we’ll be safe.” Dan said but Suzy shook her head.

“No, I’ll feel safer if one of us was awake.” 

“Fair enough.” Dan made himself comfortable, leaning the back of his head against the window.

“Good night.” 

“Good night, Dan.” She sighed.

 

Suzy wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, she didn’t realize that she was sleeping. She just felt warm, very warm. She was with Arin, he was holding her. They were chilling out on their couch watching  _ Game of Thrones.  _ Mochi, Mimi, and Otto were curled up in various spots around them. She had her coffee on the table and Arin had his monster. He was joking with her, throwing his voice to make her laugh. It worked, Arin, no matter what, could always make her laugh. Suzys ear was pressed to his chest as she listened to his heartbeat, it was soothing. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“I love you.” 

“I love you too, Arin.” She smiled and closed her eyes for a moment, only a moment. When she opened them she was back in the cab of the truck. There was raindrops on the windshield and it was a little cold in the truck. She realised that she was laying on her stomach, like she was in her dream. But, instead of laying with Arin, Dan was still sleeping under her, his arms draped around her as he slept. 

 

She shot up and scrambled away from him, which woke him up. She was red in the face, angry, upset and was shaking. She dreamt of Arin, and woke up too close to Dan. She was laying on him and the feeling she got was the same as the one she got from Arin. What was wrong with her? 

“What is it!?” Dan was startled from her sudden movement. Suzy quickly unlocked the door and jumped out. She paced the perimeter of the truck, leaning against the back and hiding her face in her hands. She heard a door open and slam, followed by Dan’s footsteps.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Dan put his hand on her shoulder which caused her to take a step back.

“Don’t touch me.” She faced away from him and walked back to the front of the truck.

“What the hell? What did I do?” He followed her.

“You didn't do anything!” Suzy yelled.

“So why are you acting like I did?” Dan asked. She didn’t answer and just shook her leg.

“Please, let me be alone right now.” She asked.

“No way, you’re my friend and I want to know what's bothering you!” Dan stood in front of her and she kept her gaze down. 

 

Did he really just call them friends? Was Dan a friend? If it wasn’t for all this they would have never met. But that could be said about any relationship ever. If you hadn’t done A, B and C you wouldn’t have met your friend, your lover, your abuser even. She clutched her fingers around her arms and bit her lip. 

“Suzy please talked to me.” Dan begged. He sounded pathetic, but Suzy did appreciate how he was trying, despite her own behavior. She knew in the back of her mind she was being unfair to him right now. She took several deep breaths.

“I just...had a bad dream, and it sort of carried over.” She spoke slow and chose her words carefully. It wasn’t a lie, but it was vague enough to satisfy Dan’s curiosity while dodging the subject of Arin. Then Dan did something she wasn’t anticipating.

 

He hugged her. 

 

She wanted to pull away. She wanted to push Dan away and just keep moving, forgetting her freak out. But his embrace made things seem okay. He was warm and skinnier than she realised. His muscles were toned and his hand was as big as her head. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back, leaning his head against the top of hers.

“I’m sorry you had a bad dream, you’re okay now.” She could feel his voice through the rumble of his chest. She actually felt her face grow warm. This whole thing felt...safe. 

 

She leaned into Dan, really taking him in. The familiar campfire smell mixed with sweat and dirt filled her nostrils. She was crying now. She hadn’t had this close human contact in too long and she forgot how much she missed being held. She missed human heart beats, she missed human warmth, she missed human breath. She missed humanity. Dan was quiet as she cried, he kept a firm hold of her and rubbed her back to comfort her. He didn’t pull away once, he waited for Suzy to be ready to let go. 

 

She looked down and Dan wiped her tears from her eyes. He gave her a weak smile and ran his hand through her hair.

“Feel better?” He asked. Suzy sniffled and looked up at the sky, trying to regulate her breath.

“I will be…” She sighed. Dan pulled her into another firm hug and rubbed her arms.

“Why don’t we get going? We’re about halfway there.” He said and she nodded. He helped her back into the truck and began driving again. 

 

It was still cloudy from the rain but the road was clear enough to drive. There was an air of awkwardness in the truck from her outburst in the morning. Dan was kind enough to not talk about it directly but sighed after what felt like an hour.

“I’ve lost count.” He said and Suzy looked at him.

“Lost count of what?” She asked.

“How many times I’ve cried since everything happened.” He glanced at her. Suzy looked down at her feet then out of the window.

“I’ve always been a real emotional guy. If I felt the need to cry, I did, still do. So you have to trust me I was a big cry baby when all this happened.” He kept his gaze forward.

“A lot of people were losing everyone. Hell, I tried getting to my parents but I wasn’t quick enough.” He huffed out a laugh.

“Dan...”

“I want to think my sister is okay. Shes married and my nephews are still young. But I haven’t been able to contact them at all, so I don’t know.” 

“Dan.” 

“Then there’s Brian and his family. I have no idea if he’s even arlight. Just as we finished writing our songs….”

“Dan!” Suzy yelled and he slammed on the brakes, coming to a screeching halt.

“What?!” He exclaimed as he looked, they almost hit a line of cars that had built up on the interstate. 

 

There was a collection of cars that looked like they were parked in a parking lot. As they looked on they saw that there was a barricade with two people guns standing in front of them.

“Is that…” Suzys eyes widened.

“People!” Dan parked the truck and quickly got out, Suzy followed. They grabbed their stuff, approaching the front of the barricade. It wasn’t terribly large and it looked like it was set up by the military. The two men standing in the front pointed their guns at the pair. They threw their hands up and Dan stood partially in front of Suzy.

“Woah! Don’t shoot!” Dan said.

“State your business.” One of the men said, the other was talking into a radio on his shoulder.

“We’ve been traveling for...a long time. We’re trying to find civilization, or a cure, or something!” Dan spoke with them as Suzy took in the front of their surroundings. It was something out of a post apocalyptic novel or tv show. There was outposts and look outs, the very top of the barricade had barbed wire. One of the men approached them and Dan wrapped his arm around Suzy, was he trying to protect her?

“We’re checking your person and your vehicle. Hands on the car.” the man instructed. They walked back to their truck and placed their hands on it. 

 

The man patted down Dan first and checked his pockets, pulling out the bag of skittles and tossing it on the truck. Once Dan was finished he moved to Suzy. She kept her gaze on her hands as she was patted down, she just wanted to get it over with. She pretended that he just wanted to be completely sure there was nothing hiding in her bra. 

 

Once that was done their stuff was checked, making sure there was no spores hiding anywhere in their belongings. That was a scary thought Suzy didn't think of and was relieved when that was cleared, even though she knew they were okay. They gathered their stuff and were lead into a small town that had been fenced in. It looked relatively normal. There were tents set up on the street as people moved about, looking at the two of them. Dan stuck close to Suzy as they were lead by one of the men to a community building. 

 

Inside there was a older woman who saw the two of them enter.

“Ma’am, these two just pulled up, they’ve been checked.” the man from the gate said. The woman nodded and he left and the woman leaned against her desk.

“Hello, my name is Jen and I use to be the Mayor but when the outbreak started to spread here, some people fled and others began to ban together and fortify our town.” She said. 

“So you’ve been able to keep those infected out?” Suzy asked and she nodded. 

“It hasn’t been easy but there has been a lot of teamwork. We try to take in as many passers by as possible.” She explained. 

“What about a cure for what's happening?” Dan asked but she shook her head.

“I don’t know about that. We haven’t been able to get contact with anyone for months.”

Suzy glanced up at Dan who glanced down at the floor. 

“But, for the time being, you two can stay with  another married couple that--”

“We’re not married.” Suzy cut her off rather quickly

“Oh, I’m sorry. I saw your ring and I assumed.” Jen gestured to her ring.

 

Suzy shoved her hand in her pocket. She still had it on, she didn’t see any reason to take off her wedding ring. She glanced up at Dan who was looking down at her, she couldn’t really read his expression.

“Regardless.” Jen continued “We have a couple around your age and where they are staying there’s enough room for two more people.”  

“Thank you.” Suzy said. They were given the address and directions to the building. It was quite as they walked. There weren't many people in the town but a decent amount of people were around.

“It’s nice seeing living people.” Suzy looked around.

“Suzy…” Dan sighed, he hasn’t looked away from her since they left Jen’s office.

“What?” She asked.

“Your husband…” Before he could finish his sentence Suzy stood in front of him, pointing her finger at him.

“Don’t…” Her voice was low and Dan just stood in place, looking down at her with a sad expression.

“If you want to talk about it.” He tried to calm her but she shook her head.

“There’s nothing to talk about, let’s just go, okay?” She kept walking. Dan sighed and followed her.

 

They stopped in front of an old town home. It was a faded green with cream colored shutters. There was a modest porch with a loveseat on it. On the door there was a crude sign in front that read: ‘O’Donovan-Conrad’. Dan was the one who knocked on the door and they were greeted by a woman with faded pink hair, her natural brown roots have grown out. She had light green eyes and a button nose.

“Can I help you?” she asked. Her voice was really cute sounding.

“Hi uh, I’m Dan, and this is Suzy, um, Jen told us to come here?” He sounded unsure of himself speaking to this woman. She nodded and let the pair in.

“You guys just came in I guess?” She asked.

“Yes, not too long ago. We’ve been driving for what feels like weeks.” Suzy walked inside while the woman laughed.

“Been hearing that a lot recently. My name is Holly.” Holly introduced herself. 

 

The home looked like it was once owned by an elderly couple. The furniture was outdated and it smelled like mothballs and old lady perfume. 

“My husband, Ross is out getting our rations for the week.” Holly gestured for them to follow her upstairs. 

“This is our room” She pointed to a bedroom and opened the door to a smaller bedroom. “This will be your bedroom.” Dan walked in and set his bag down but Suzy winced

“There’s only one bed.” She said.

“So?” Holly asked.

“We aren’t a couple.” Dan walked back to the hallway.

“I can sleep on the couch, it won’t be a problem.” Suzy began to walk downstairs.

“No, you take the bedroom, I’ll couch it.” Dan was already down the steps and Holly looked between them.

“Is there going to be...problems?” She asked sounding a little cautious. Suzy would be too if complete strangers barged up in your temporary home during the apocalypse. Social drama is the last thing anyone wants to deal with right now.

“It won’t be a problem. I’m sorry.” Suzy placed her bag on the bed and shut the door.

 

Holly lead Suzy down the stairs to the kitchen to get her something to drink.

“Hey uh, Dan? You thirsty?” She called. There were loud footsteps on the hardwood floor as Dan entered the kitchen. He had to duck his head in the archway.

“Yes, please.” He smiled. Holly grabbed them two bottles of water and placed on in front of them.

“How’d you get this?” Dan asked as he downed half of it.

“This was a functioning town before everything happened and those who stayed banned together.” She explained. Suzy slowly sipped at her water she kept glancing at Dan who was focused on Holly. He glanced over at Suzy and she moved to sit next to him. Dan kept his eyes on her and started small talk.

“So, you mentioned you have a husband?” Dan asked. Suzy winced. 

 

What was it about husband talk that made her uneasy? Ever since they ran into other human beings everyone assumed them a couple, since Dan and her were a man and a woman. Because men and women definitely can’t just be friends. It annoyed her how everyone assumed Dan was her husband since he came in with her and she had on her wedding band still.

“Suzy?” Holly snapped her back into reality. Suzy looked over at the two of them.

“You okay? You completely checked out.” Dan placed a hand on her back. Why was he touching her now. She stood up.

“Um...I-I’m going to lay down.” She went upstairs before anyone could say anything more. Dan watched her as she left.

 

Suzy shut the bedroom door behind her and took off her shoes. The room was very small, a decently sized bed and an old dresser with little knick knacks on it. There were pictures of a family she did not know on the wall, they looked happy. She laid down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. It was a plain creme color with a few cracks in it. 

 

She collapsed on the bed and turned to her side. The bed was big enough for two people and of all the people she wanted beside her, a small part of it wanted Dan, and she hated it. She hated how she wanted Dan to lay beside her. Dan was just her friend and nothing more. The time they spent traveling together had been nice but she had to keep focused. She had to survive, she had to live. She did feel relieved however, finding a safe place to sleep, with people, in a semi protective area is a lot better than sleeping in shifts in a truck. But, it was Dan’s truck, his reliable truck his father passed down to him. 

 

The camping atmosphere was nice as well. Being able to look up at the sky and listen to one’s thoughts, despite it being the only thing of real leisure any more. She closed her eyes and tried to nap, but she couldn’t, she was too anxious, despite the relaxing setting. She sat up and ran her hands through her hair, sighing. Someone knocked at her door.

“Come in.” She called, it was Holly. She was holding a small plate with some bread on it.

“It's not much but it's what we have right now. We need to talk to Jen tomorrow about getting set up with a higher ration portion.” she said. 

 

Suzy took the plate from her.

“Thank you.” She took a bite, the bread was almost stale.

“Could I say something?” Holly asked, Suzy nodded.

“I don’t know you but I would like to since we will be living together, and I can’t do that if you hold up in here.” Holly sat on the bed.

“We all have our baggage, especially in these times. But please try and remember that right now, all of us, are in this together. No one person can do it on their own.” Suzy’s eye twitched. She understood what Holly was trying to say but she didn’t want to hear it. She sighed.

“I know, I know that I’m being selfish but...I-I don’t know,” she groaned.

“It’s just dumb.” Holly placed a hand on Suzy’s shoulder.

“If you ever want to talk, I’ll be here.” She gave her a weak smile and left her to be alone in the room again. Suzy stayed up there for most of the night. 

 

In the late evening she heard laughing from downstairs. Dan’s laugh was very specific, it was very giggly. Why was he laughing so hard? Was there anything to really laugh about? She sat up from the bed and quietly left the room. She crept to the stairway and listened to what was happening downstairs. She could see part of a man she didn’t know, probably Holly’s husband. He looked just as big as her with barely any muscle mass. 

“So for the first couple years we just chatted online. She’s older than me so like, all my buddies were joking that Holly was a cougar.” Holly’s husband said which made Dan laugh. Suzys heart skipped a beat when she heard it again. Stop it.

“Oh my god that’s amazing.”

“Yeah, until I started getting messages about it.” Holly seemed annoyed. 

“It’s good that you guys stayed together though, it’s beautiful.” Dan said. Suzy began to walk down the stairs. 

 

The three of them were sitting in what Suzy guess was the living room drinking tea together. Her eyes lit up, she hasn’t had anything like that in such a long time. 

“Hey there, I’m Ross and you must be Suzy?” Holly's husband stood up to shake her hand, and she did.

“Yeah, I’m Suzy.” She took a seat next to Holly who was sitting across from Dan and Ross.

“Tea?” Holly began to pour a cup anyway.

“Thank you.” Suzy sipped it and she sighed. It actually burned her mouth a little bit and she loved it. She was smiling brightly, she never thought drinking tea would bring her such joy. She glanced over at Dan who seemed to be watching her, but he could have also been looking through her, she blinked away.

“So, Dan tells me that you guys have been traveling together for a few weeks?” Ross started the conversation again. 

“Y-Yeah. I was headed to Pennsylvania from Florida when I ran into him.” Suzy said.

“How’d you two meet?” Holly asked.

“I was scavenging for supplies when I ran into an infected and Dan happened to be camping nearby.” Suzy said.

“There was an infected that was nearby and we were able to hide so the thing just waltz passed us.” Dan stated and took a sip of his own tea.

“We’ve been traveling together ever since.”

“That’s so crazy but it’s good you guys came. It means that there are more people out there who are alive.” Ross looked at Holly who’s face was unreadable.

 

There was an awkward moment of silence. They were having a fun time talking before she came down, she had put a damper on the mood. She tried to liven it up

“Dan’s a really good singer.” She said. It was the first things that popped into her head. He did have an amazing voice. It lulled her to sleep and even when he wasn’t singing, his voice was just soothing to listen to. Dan blushed and looked away.

“Really?” Holly leaned in.

“I like to sing. Tried starting a band like three times but that never went anywhere.” He laughed it off and looked at Ross.

“What did you do, huh?” Dan changed the subject.

 

Ross went on about how he animated cartoons on the internet for the longest time and how art was something he always liked. Suzy listened as Ross reminded her of Arin. He loved drawing and animation and was very good at it. She even helped him on some of his videos back when they first started dating. She remembers sitting in their tiny apartment and watching Arin draw and get mesmerised by how well he concentrated. There was a twinge in her heart as she reminisced. 

“I was actually able to make revenue off of ads, but that didn’t last long.” Ross sighed. “Right as things were beginning to take off all this bullshit happened.” 

 

There was silence again and no one was exactly sure how to break it. Dan sighed after a few minutes.

“Not to be rude but, I’m beat and would really like to get some sleep.” He looked over at Suzy, who looked away from him.

“The bedrooms are upstairs.” Ross frowned.

“Nah, Suzy’s got it. I’m couch surfing.” Dan took off his leather jacket.

“Why? Wouldn’t you sleep with Suzy?” He asked and Dan’s face flushed and Suzy clutched her fist in her lap.

“We aren’t together.” She said bitterly and Ross raised his hands.

“Alright, my bad. Sorry for assuming.” He patted Dan’s shoulder and stood up

“Nice to meet you.” He went upstairs and Holly followed, saying goodnight to each of them. Dan looked at Suzy as he laid on the couch.

“See you in the morning?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yeah, sleep well.” She stood up and hurried upstairs.

 

She couldn’t sleep. She didn’t mean to sound angry at Ross, she didn’t even know exactly why she was upset. He didn’t know them at all so of course he’s going to assume, but still, him assuming annoyed her. She huffed as she got under the covers and tried to sleep. It was too quiet though and the room was too empty but she somehow willed herself to sleep. 

 

When she opened her eyes she was in her old house. It was a sunny day outside and there were actual birds chirping. She groaned as she sat up and stretched. Mochi was asleep on the end of bed, he looked over and meowed at her. She smiled brightly

“Hi Moch.” She gave him chin scritches. She got out of the bed and started her morning routine. She got a shower and threw on some comfortable clothes. She wasn’t planning on doing anything strenuous today. She started to make her morning coffee as she thought about what she could do today. Maybe answer some emails, get some videos done. Something was bothering her in the back of her head though. Something about what she was doing seemed...off. She thought about it and she hasn’t seen Arin at all since she woke up.

 

Wait a minute. Arin? 

 

The illusion shattered and she was no longer in her home. She was standing in the middle of nowhere as a group of infected surrounded her. Their heavy breaths closed in on her as she tried to grab for anything to defend herself. She didn’t have her machete, there was nothing around for her to grab. Her heart pounded, she was going to die, she was going to be infected by these things and turn into one of them, just like…

 

“Suzy!” 

 

She gasped as her eyes flew open, she was in her new bedroom. Dan was looming over her, his hands on her shoulders, he looked worried.

“Hey...what happened?” He brushed her hair out of her face. She sucked in a deep breath as she wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. She cried in his shirt silently, trembling. The only sound that could be heard in the room was her crying. Dan relaxed and just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. He didn’t say a word or move an inch until she was ready.She pulled away, wiping her tears and sniffled.

“I’m sorry. I-It was a nightmare.” She told him, she didn’t look at him. But Dan placed an affirming hand on her shoulder.

“I had a nightmare too, don’t worry.” His voice was soft and calming, it always was. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Suzy asked.

“Do you want to talk about yours?” Dan rebuddled. Suzy shook her head ‘no’. 

 

Dan smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Holly’s making breakfast, she said it was eggs. Eggs, Suzy! I can’t even remember the last time I had eggs.” He smiled and left the room. Suzy sighed and stood up to get dressed. Her dream had still not left her mind as she went downstairs. Dan said he had a nightmare too, was he okay?

 

It was a busy morning in the kitchen as Holly prepared the eggs. Dan stood and tried to help but he was more of a hinderance. 

“You guys should see Jen as soon as possible so she can set you up with a job.” Ross told them as he came into the kitchen.

“A job?” Dan asked.

“Yeah, we all gotta do our part to keep things running smoothly.” Holly handed Dan a plate and he sat down.

“Fair enough.” Suzy took a plate and sat down.

“Dan you should work with me!” Ross said.

“Why, what do you do?” Dan asked.

“Border patrol. It’s pretty simple, we all take shifts in watching out for other survivors like yourselfs. Or, if some mushroom heads get to close we take ‘em out.”  Ross made a gesture as if he was holding a sniper rifle and Dan looked sick. Suzy knew that would be the worst job for Dan, his moral code and all.

 

After breakfast, Holly took Dan and Suzy to Jens office as she placed them in temporary positions. Dan was placed on rations with Holly, while Suzy was placed on, babysitting children. There weren’t many children in the community but enough that they did their best to make a mock school. It was more of a day care really. Jen brought Suzy to a small playground where about ten children of varying ages were playing. There was a man of asian decent sitting on a bench and keeping an eye on them.

“Mark!” Jen called and the man named Mark looked over, standing up as the women approached.

“Mark, this is Suzy, her and her partner Dan are new and she’s going to help you here for now.” She told him and Mark shook Suzy’s hand.

“Alright, cool. Got someone my age to talk to all day.” He laughed. 

Suzy and Mark sat on the park bench. The kids kept themselves mostly occupied and they only had to break up a fight or two. Suzy was okay with kids but never considered herself great with them. She liked them enough that basic child behaviors didn’t get on her nerves. 

“So, like it here so far?” Mark asked.

“Its nice here, yeah.” She said.

“Yeah, I’m so sure I’d be dead if it weren’t for this place.” He laughed and Suzy nodded.

“Sorry, I’m terrible with small talk.”

“It’s alright.” They were silent again.

“Its nice to feel normal though.” Suzy said after a moment.

“Yeah. I’ve been here for a while and it feels like no time has passed. Hell I even forget what goes on out there until I see the border.” Mark gestured to the direction of the front entrance. Suzy didn’t know what to say.

“Do you think there’s a cure?” She asked

“I don’t know. But I know that I’m safe here, and here is where I’m going to stay.” He said. Suzy just nodded.

 

Later that night Suzy, Ross, Dan and Holly all sat and ate dinner together. Ross went on about how he spotted an infected and had to take it out with his bare hands.

“But you shot it, that’s not taking it out with your bare hands.” Dan corrected.

“Pssh, says you.” Ross teased and Dan rolled his eyes.

“Y’know, it’s not really funny to joke about that, Ross.” Holly scolded. 

“Aw come on, it’s fun elaborating.” Ross gave her puppy dog eyes. 

“They were people once y’know.” Dan said quietly as he poked his food. Ross or Holly didn’t seem to hear but Suzy did. She gave him a sympathetic look and stayed quiet. 

 

As Suzy was going up to bed, she ran into Dan coming from the bathroom. 

“Oh, sorry.” She took a step back.

“No, I’m sorry.” They shuffled in the hallway as they each kept accidently blocking one another's path. Suzy gently placed her arms on Dan’s to move him. He laughed nervously.

“Sorry.” He went downstairs. Dan wasn’t trying to make conversation with her much anymore. Maybe he had a long day with the new job. Getting use to a new way of life wasn’t easy and there has been a lot of change in a short amount of time. He was probably feeling out of whack, Suzy knew that she did. 

“Hey, Dan?” Suzy called. Dan came back into view.

“Yeah?” Suzy couldn't read his face. He looked happy, but not entirely. 

“If um...if you want to sleep in the bedroom you can. I-I don’t care.” She told him.

“You sure? We’d be sharing a bed.” Dan’s words seemed cautious, but she could hear some excitement in his voice. She nodded.

“Yeah I mean, we’re just friends right? It’s not like it would be weird.” She said. Technically they slept close to each other before. That day they slept in the truck and Suzy had fallen asleep on Dan. It was nice and she liked it more than she wanted to admit.

 

What was wrong with her?

 

That night when Suzy had climbed into bed and Dan entered the room. His bag was already in the room and he stood anxiously in the doorway. 

“I uh, I’m gonna change.” he grabbed some clothes and left the room. Suzy just turned over and pulled the covers over he shoulder. She knew when Dan came back when the door shut.

“S-Sorry, do you want the door open?” He asked.

“Closed, it feels safer that way.” She said.

“Y-Yeah.” Dan sat on the bed beside her, Suzy sighed and turned to her side.

“Listen, I want to apologize to you.” She told him.

“What?” He looked down at her.

“I know that like, since you’ve met me I’ve been distant and irritable, and I know you understand why. But...look, I consider you my friend and I want to begin to learn and open up to you more.” She propped up on her elbow. Dan just looked down at her and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m happy that you consider me a friend, nice to know that you don’t hate me.” He laughed.

“Why would I hate you?” Suzy asked.

“Well, I always felt like I was doing the wrong thing.” Dan leaned against the headboard.

“I’m sorry for that. I just...gotta work on some stuff but...you are my friend, Dan.” She smiled slightly and he smiled back. 

“Thanks, you’re my friend too.” 

 

When Suzy woke up the next morning the bed was so warm. It was so comforting and inviting she didn’t want to get up. She felt a warm next to her and smiled.

“Arin…” she pulled him close to her and his hair tickled her nose.

“Uh…” It wasn’t Arin and she pulled away immediately.

“Sorry!” She quickly got up as Dan sat up.

“It’s okay!” Dan said as he looked at her. Suzy took a deep breath.

“This didn’t happen.” She said and he nodded.

“O-Okay, yeah sure.” Dan nodded and laid back a bit. Suzy left the room. Neither of them spoke of the situation.

 

The next few days followed that routine. Wake up, go to their respective jobs for the community, come home and sleep. Ross and Holly were a nice couple and very friendly. Ross always had a knack for getting on Dan’s nerves, in good fun, and Holly would be the one to tell him to back off. Suzy thought it was funny. It was like they had been friends for a long time.

 

Sleeping next to Dan had gotten easier on Suzy too. He was nice enough to not bring up her calling him ‘Arin’, although she could sense his curiosity. She’d tell him eventually. She found herself beginning to look forward to talking with Danny in bed at night. 

 

“Y’know what I miss?” Suzy asked one night.

“Hmm?” Danny had his back to her. 

“When I met you, you would sing yourself to sleep.” Suzy looked at him. 

“Yeah? You liked my singing?” He asked 

“Yes. Didn't listen to much Pink Floyd, but I knew that song.” She said. 

“Thanks Suzy, that means a lot.” Dan rolled over and gave her a grin. 

 

The next afternoon Suzy was helping Holly with dinner. She was able to come home early and Holly had off. 

So, I have a question.” Holly said. 

“Hmm?” Suzy looked up from chopping some of the fresh grown vegetables. 

“I know this is is a sensitive topic, but, what happened to your husband?” She asked. Suzy got quiet and just continued to chop. 

“Is it because of the outbreak? Did he get sick?” Holly asked. 

“Yeah…” Suzy put the knife down and leaned against the counter. 

 

Don't cry. Don't cry. 

“Suzy…” Holly placed placed a hand onto her shoulder. “Don't hold back,” she said. 

 

Suzy was shaking and her heart pounded as she thought back to what seemed like years ago now. 

“In Florida...there were a few reported cases that proved fatal. Arin wanted to leave when he heard but...I-I was so stupid, so sure it wouldn't be a problem.” She sniffed as as tear fell down her face. 

“Then everything happened so fast. Cities were under quarantine, the next thing I know Arin and I are stuck in traffic when someone in the crowd goes crazy.” She turned to Holly. 

“Then everyone is running around and screaming. Arin...Arin, he did everything he could to protect me. He...was so concerned for my safety he didn't even…” she closed her eyes and collected her thoughts. 

“He got hurt and I tried to get him help but..I couldn't save him.” She looked at Holly as tears flooded her eyes. 

“I couldn't save him, Holly. I-I wasn't strong enough. He told me that he needed to survive, to find a cure so this stops. I haven't found anything!” Holly pulled Suzy into into a tight hug as she cried. 

 

This was the first time she really cried for Arin. It was because of her ignorance, her lack of strength that killed him. She's the reason he got infected. It spread through him so quickly, it was scary. He begged for her to kill him, so he wouldn't walk the earth as one of them. He was the first infected she killed. Holly was silent as she held her as she cried, completely drenching her shirt. 

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry…” Suzy choked between sobs. Holly comforted her as best she could. 

“It will be okay. You're safe, which is what Arin would have cared about. He sounds like you were his world.” Holly told her. Suzy sniffed. 

Maybe…” she said. She wiped her eyes.  “Let me...let me clean up my face.” Suzy walked out to the hallway and heard the front door shut. 

“Hello?” Nothing. Suzy shrugged and went upstairs. She cleaned herself up and went back downstairs. 

 

That night at dinner Dan was quiet, it was mostly Ross and Holly in conversation. Suzy kept an eye on him, he looked like he was somewhere else in his mind. She decided to ask him about it before bed. 

“Nothing's wrong.” Dan told her as he got into bed. 

“If there was you’d tell me, right?” Suzy asked. Dan bit his lower lip and looked at her. 

“I...I was just wondering when you would want to leave” He stated. 

“Why would I want to leave?” Suzy asked. Dan pulled his legs to his chest. 

“We were going to California, to find a cure, remember?” He asked. 

 

Suzy gave him a look and thought about what he said.

“I did, but this community is safe, and I like it here. Holly and Ross are nice…” Dan’s expression was hard to read. He just nodded.

“I was just wondering becuase you were so hell bent on finding a cure that…” Suzy cut him off.

“N-No, that’s like, all I talked about when I met you. Don’t worry. I am happy here.” she said.

“So you don’t want to leave to find a cure?” He asked.

“No, I want to stay. Why are you on this?” She asked and Dan just shook his head.

“Because I wanted to leave and wanted to know if you will come with me.” Dan said. Suzy shook her head.

“Dan, why would you want to leave? This place is so safe and you can survive here.” She told him. Dan blinked at her.

“Are you saying I can’t survive out there?” He asked, there was some malice to his voice.  “What? No, I didn’t say that.” She said.

“You said that ‘I’ can survive here. Not ‘we’, implying that you think I can’t survive out there on my own.” Dan looked angry and Suzy leaned back.

“Hang on. I didn’t say that at all…” Suzy said and Dan scoffed.

“Yeah, there's a lot of things you don’t say to me.” He said and that made Suzy go on the defensive, her anger rising. 

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Who’s not talking now.”

“Real mature.” He got up from the bed and looked over at her.

“I heard what you said, what you told Holly. I just think it sucks how you said you were going to open up to me more, but I had to overhear you telling someone else what happened to you.” Dan looked more hurt than angry but there was anger in his eyes. Suzy stood up.

“So you’re eavesdropping now?” She accused.

“Not purposely but I hate thats how I found out.” Suzy groaned.

“I’m mad at you for listening in.”

“I’m mad at you for not trusting me as a friend after all we’ve been through!” He actually yelled. It was something she thought Dan was incapable of doing.

“I still haven’t forgotten how you’ve called me Arin. But, I left you alone about it because you asked me to!”

“Don’t you dare bring up Arin!”

“Is it because of him you feel like you need to protect me? Because you couldn’t protect him?” 

“Shut up!” Suzy yelled. 

 

Dan took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair and Suzy turned away from him. She was angry with him and she could feel Dan’s anger. But, he was stepping over too many lines. Suzy looked back at Dan who was standing at the door, he was focused on the floor.

“All I wanted was to trust me enough to be your friend.” He left the room. Suzy just stood there shaking with anger. He wasn’t being fair. She sat on the bed in frustration and played the scene over and over in her head. She could, now that she calmed down, understand that Dan was hurt. She was planning on talking to Dan about Arin, she just hadn’t. Everything spilled over with Holly, it's not like it happened on purpose. She laid on the bed and looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Dan didn’t come back into the room that night. 

 

Suzy came down stairs exhausted. She was rubbing her eye when Ross looks up at her.

“Hey, everything okay?” He asked. Him and Holly must have overheard the argument last night.

“Yeah, everything is okay. Just..a disagreement, I want to talk it out. Where’s Dan?” Suzy asked.

“Haven’t seen him since last night.”

“Really?” Did he just leave early? 

“Hey Hol, seen Dan?” Ross called to the other room.

“No, I haven’t seen him.” She called back. 

“I’m going to...see if I can find him.” Suzy quickly got changed and left the house.

 

Dan wasn’t at his work station, she was told he hasn’t even shown up. Suzy looked all around the community for him, she couldn’t find him. She was beginning to get worried. This place wasn’t that big, where could he have gotten to? She got to the front entrance.

“Excuse me!” She called to the guards. “Have either of you seen Dan?” She asked. She had to describe him to them, even though he stuck out like a sore thumb. 

“Oh, yeah we saw him early this morning. He left.” a woman said looking at her partner. 

“What do you mean he left?” Suzy asked urgently. 

“Before sunrise he came up to us and asked to be let out. So, no one has really wanted to leave, so we didn’t really have protocal for that situation, so we let him go.” The other woman said. 

 

She was in a full panic now. Dan had left the community, left her. Was it because of their argument? How could he just leave. She rushed back home. 

“Dan's gone!” She exclaimed.

“He's gone?” Ross asked. 

“Yes. The people just...let him go this morning. He's out there alone, it isn't safe!” Suzy was pacing. 

 

She had to do something. Dan couldn't be out there alone for long. But where would he go? Would he still try and make it to California? She still had the map in her bag. But how could she catch up? Holly approached her and tried her best to calm her. 

“I don't know what to do.” Suzy was shaking. 

“You need to find him and take him to where he will be safe.” She told her. 

 

Suzy knew she was right, she couldn't lose Dan. Dan, as much as she denied it, was her best friend, the first person she really cared about since Arin died. He was such a kind and caring soul with a beautiful outlook on even the worst situations, she had to save him. Suzy gathered her belongings and said goodbye to Ross and Holly, thanking them for everything, she tried not to cry.

“I’ll find him.” She told them as she left the community with her machete in hand.

 

The guards were able to point Suzy in the direction they saw Dan drive off. He was going to California. She took out her map and looked it over, the penned out route was the most likely way he went. She was careful in her steps, she was alone with no vehicle again. She was vulnerable to any and all attacks from people or infected. 

 

Her heart was pounding as she took purposeful steps in the direction Dan could have gone. A part of her worried that she was going the wrong day since she was only working of where he might have been going. But, there was a part of her that knew that the way she was going would take her to Dan. 

 

Every horrible thing was plaguing her mind. Dan being overrun by a bunch of infected all at once. Dan being careless and infected sneaking up behind him. Even the thought of Dan running into crazy humans who kidnap him and use him for whatever means they need crossed her mind. She tried her best to shake it off, she had to focus, she had to find Dan.

 

It was nearly sunset and her feet her exhausted and she had to stop. She sat on the edge of the road, taking off her boots and rubbed her feet. She didn’t want to stop, she wanted to keep going but her body wouldn’t let her. She looked down the road that went on for what seemed forever. 

 

As Suzy looked down the road she shook. What if she never found Dan? What if she wandered by herself until she died from exhaustion. Would anyone find her body? She should have just stayed at the community, it was Dan's choice to leave. But it was her fault Dan left. She had the chance to leave with him but she was too stubborn to admit that she was scared to be back out in the open. She slipped her boots back on to continue walking and she heard something in the distance.

 

A scream.

 

Her heart stopped and the scream echoed. Where was it coming from? Was it Dan?

“Hello!” Suzy yelled. There was silence for a few moments before another scream. She began to run in the direction she was able to pinpoint where the scream was coming from. She came upon a wooded area just off the side of the road where she saw Dan’s truck.The truck was damaged and had scratch marks on it that wasn’t there before and the drivers side window was shattered. Her heart was pounding, Dan was here. The screams were getting louder the deeper she got into the woods. 

“Dan!” She yelled. 

 

She threw off her backpack when she came upon a slightly clearer area. There were two very aggressive infected attacking someone. He was on the ground trying his best to dodge their attacks, his baseball bat was nowhere near him.

“Dan!” She screamed as she charged towards them.

“Suzy!” One of the infected turned around as she heard Suzy’s charging footsteps as she slid under its legs, aiming her machete to take out its ankles. It let out a cry as it stumbled backward and the other infected came for Suzy. 

“Get your bat!” Suzy yelled as she led the infected away from Dan.

“Suzy!” Dan cried as she ran from him. She turned to the pursuing infected and took a defensive stance. It swung at her with it's arm and she was able to get out of its way. She had to go for its ankles. These particular infected were too bulky for her to stab like she would a normal one, she’s never dealt with ones so aggressive before. 

 

She heard Dan grunt as he swung his bat down onto the head of the first infected she attacked. Its head completely smashing in on itself, he killed it. The living infected screeched as it charged for Suzy again and it got ahold of her machete. It tossed it aside as Suzy lost her balance and frantically began to back away. It advanced on her and as it was about to attack there was several gunshots.The infected staggered to the side as it screeched in pain.

“Go away! Go away! Don’t touch her!” Dan was walking towards them holding a handgun. His eyes were wide as he shot again.Suzy grabbed for her machete and swung it, taking out this one's ankles as Dan walked closer to them. Suzy stood up and drove the machete into the infected head, killing it. 

 

They take a moment to catch their breath. Suzy rests her hands on her knees and looks at the fallen infected. One's head was completely gone while the other had several gunshot wounds. She looked over at Dan whose hands were in his hair and he was shaking, when he looked at Suzy he became angry.

“What are you doing?!” He asked, Suzy stood up straight.

“Saving your life.” She told him.

“I didn’t need your help.”

“You obviously did!” They were fighting, after working together, they were fighting. Dan through his arms in the air.

“There you go about needing to save me.” He sneered.

“I didn’t need to save you, I wanted to save you!” Suzy gestured to the infected.

“This is what I was talking about, about being safe. Going off on your own was not the smart move!”

“I did it before.” He glared at her and crossed his arms.

“Now you’re just being a jackass.”

“How am I being a jackass?”  
“You could at least say ‘thank you’!” 

“For what!?”

“For saving your life! For finding you after you ran off!” Suzy was yelling now. She was exhausted from her trip and this unexpected rush of adrenaline made her shake.

“I didn’t run off! I was trying to make it to California to find a cure! The thing you wanted to do but stopped when we got to the community.” Dan pointed out.

“Why do you want to find a cure so bad now? You barely cared before!”

“That’s not true! I always cared and your drive to want to find one fueled my own reasons to find one!” Suzy turned away from him.

“I left because I wanted to find a cure so people like Arin didn’t happen to anyone anymore. I didn’t want to see another person have to say goodbye to a loved one because of this stupid...I-I don’t know what to call it!”

“Don’t…”

“Don’t what, Suzy? Don’t talk about Arin? Right, I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to talk about him.”

“You aren’t being fair!”  
“Neither are you! Why can’t you talk about him with me? Why does it hurt so much to think of Arin when you’re around me?” Dan asked. Suzy could see the tears in his eyes. 

“You don’t understand the feeling of not being able to grieve the loss of your husband and then meeting someone who reminds you so much of him!” Suzy yelled. Dan stood back and looked at her.

“You’re remind me of him but only in some aspects of him! Your kind nature, your caring personality and just...your need to help people! But it’s not the reason I came after you! I came after you because I was scared of losing someone I love again.” She was crying now.

 

There was silence for a moment. Suzy wiped her eye and couldn’t look at Dan. 

“I couldn’t lose you Dan. You’re too special to me. When Arin died I promised myself to never rely on anyone else protection. Then I met you and you’re so protective by nature, and I told myself that I had to protect you. You were so gentle and I know you thought, that I thought you were a burden but that wasn’t--”

“Suzy…” Dan's voice was soft. “Say that again.”

“Say what?”

“You...said you loved me, do you mean that?” Dan looked at her with hopeful eyes. Did she say that, did she say that she loved Dan? She looked at him. He was breathing heavily, his hair more of a mess than normal. His red flannel shirt was ripped and slightly unbuttoned due to the fight, his ripped jeans had stains on them. His hazel eyes were looking widely at her as he panted. She acted on impulse. 

 

She took two steps close to him and he closed the gap between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes as he wrapped his arms around her middle as they kissed. He moved one of his hands to her neck to caress her face. Her legs felt weak as he held her. His lips were chapped so they were rough but she didn’t care. She pulled back just a bit to catch her breath and Dan slipped his tongue in her mouth as he moaned. She pressed her body as close as she could to him, and threaded her fingers into his hair. They finally were able to pull away from each other, but their faces still inches apart.

“I love you, Suzy.” Dan panted.

“I love you too, Dan.” Suzy sniffed as Dan kissed her again. Not as intense as before, more gentle and caring. 

“Suzy, I love you so much you have no idea. I think I loved you when we met. You’re so strong and determined, I never wanted you to feel hurt. I wanted to be someone you could love and rely on.” He kissed her.

“You’re so beautiful…” he sighed. Suzy felt her face flush as Dan praised her. She felt loved. Dan couldn’t stop talking it was becoming embarrassing. He smiled and apologized, kissing her gently. 

 

They stood in each others arm and gaze at each other. Dan would playfully lean back in just to kiss her, even nipping her neck once or twice. Dan took Suzys hand in his own and they went back to the truck. They decided on finding a safer place to park the truck for the night and make a game plan in the morning. They got the glass out of the cab of the truck and both laid on the bed of the truck, their supplies from the start of their journey still there. 

 

As they laid there together Dan had one hand in the back of his head and another around Suzy, who was resting on his chest. It was a cloudy night so it was hard to see any sky but they still looked upward in silence. Suzy was more focused on Dan, his breathing, his smell, the textures of his shirt, his heartbeat. She missed being this close to someone, and she loved that she was able to experience this with Dan. 

“Suzy…” Dan said, she felt his voice more than she actually heard it.

“Yes?” She sat up to look at him.

“Can you promise me something?” He asked.

“What is it?” 

“Can you promise that you’ll stay with me? Wherever you go I’ll go, and wherever I go you’ll be with me? I-I don’t want to lose you again.” He reached up and brushed her hair and tucked some behind her ear. She smiled.

“Of course we’re staying together. I can’t leave you now, you need me too much.” She joked which did make him laugh.

“Yeah, I’m a mess without you.” She laughed and leaned down to kiss him deeply. He held her close to his body and hummed against her mouth. They stayed that close for the entire night.

 

Traveling was a little harder since their supplies were low, but they were able to manage. It's like how it was before they reached the community. They rationed out what they had and whenever they were passing a town they would find as much usable supplies as possible. They fought off any infected that approached them, Dan was even able to kill a few. The day they reunited stripped him of that aversion of killing them. 

After what felt like weeks, one hot afternoon they saw a huge wall in the distance. As they got closer there were more and more military vehicles. Dan slowed down as they tried to find someone to talk to.

“Please don’t let this be abandoned…” Suzy said to herself. They stopped a few feet from the entrance and got out of their car. There were people in uniforms standing in front of the gate. Dan took Suzys hand as they approached, two of them walking towards them.

“Stop, state your business.” One said. 

“I’m Dan and this is Suzy, we’ve been traveling forever trying to find help. We came from the East Coast, is this California?” He asked. 

“It is.” The other guard said.

“Please, we’ve been traveling for ages. We’ve been trying to get here, where we lived, everything is gone!” Suzy told them. One of the men spoke quietly into his radio. Dan stood close to Suzy and put his arm around her tightly as he looked at them, his thumb brushing against her shoulder. The guard nodded and waved to them, allowing them entrance. They got back into the truck and slowly drove in, following the guard. 

 

Inside was what looked like Los Angeles, except there were military stations almost everywhere and people around seemed to be doing okay. Some were hurt, some bodies were covered up by sheets. The air was dusty as some people wore masks and stayed inside of a big blue tent with a red cross on the front. They were able to park their truck in a row of other cars. There were teenagers hanging around them who watched Suzy and Dan be lead by the soldier. 

 

It was like how it was in Nebraska, only bigger and more official. They were taken to a tent where a woman in the same uniform took down their information and they each had to get a medical exam. 

“Is there a cure?” Suzy asked the nurse as she got her check up. The woman sighed and shook her head.

“Not yet sweetie, and I don’t think there ever will.” she wrote down on her clipboard. Suzy looked down at the ground. So, there really wasn’t a cure. They were lied to, no one knew what to do so the news so many months ago had just given them all false hope. 

“I do think however, that given a few years, we can figure out a way to get things back to the way they were.” She patted Suzy’s leg.

“If you want to be apart of that revolution is up to you, but for now, be safe.” She told her. Suzy nodded and left the medical tent. Dan was standing across the street holding some paperwork.

“So, we were assigned housing, it's not far from here.” Dan took her hand as they began to walk.

“You know there isn’t a cure.” Suzy stated after a moment of silence, Dan kept his eyes forward.

“Yeah, I heard…” he sighed. 

“The nurse said something that stuck with me though.” She said.

“Hmm?” Dan looked down at her. 

“She said that if in a few years there's a revolution to take the world back, if I wanted to be apart of it, it was up to me.” She said. She thought about it. She wanted to be apart of the revolution when it does happen. She wanted to take back the world that took her husband away. Dan squeezed her hand.

“Just let me be there with you okay?” He smiled and she smiled back, hugging him.

“I’ll always be by your side.” 

 

They found their housing, a small tent occupied by a man with dark brown hair and a full beard named Barry. He was very sweet and welcome Suzy and Dan with a smile. He was ready to show them around and help them if they needed it. He seemed like he needed a friend and they became his quickly. 

 

The first night Suzy stood and looked at the sky. She couldn’t really see the stars but the moon shined brightly. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and a chin rest on the top of her head.

“We made it.” Dan whispered quietly in her ear

“Yeah.” She held onto his hands and leaned into him.

“I’m happy I found you.” He kissed her head. Suzy smiled and rubbed his hand.

“I’m happy I found you too.” Suzy looked up at the sky as Dan held her. She made it, she survived. She was ready to move on and start a new life in this world, with Dan. 


End file.
